Mary heath



MHEATH.

' ABDOMINAL BANDAGB.

(No Model.)

No. 514,930.: Patented-Feb. 20, 1879-4.

INVENTOH WITNESSES."

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARY HEATH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ABDOMINAL BANDAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,930, dated February 20, 1894. Applicationfiled March 28, 1893. Serial liq. 467,940- (Nomodeh) described.

The object of my invention is to provide an abdominal bandage that shall closely conform v to the curves of the body and that will not wrinkle or lose its shape.

My invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a. perspective view of. my abdominal bandage showing said bandage secured in position upon the person. Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear view of the bandage, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section on the line 3-3 Fig. 2.

A is the body portion of the bandage which may be made of any suitable material, but

preferably a fabric of a woolen nature. Thisbandage tapers toward the ends, its widest part being at or near the middle of the bandage. Both ends of the bandage are provided with button-holes B, or other suitable means to be used to secure the bandage in position.

D D are elastic bands interposed in the bandage at or near the ends, for the purpose of giving an elasticity or stretch to the bandage. If preferred, instead of elastic bands, a woven elastic fabric may be used.

G G are ribs or stays preferably made from whale-bone. Said stays are secured in the body portion A of the bandage, vertically, for the purpose hereinafter described.

F is a binding extending along the edge of the body portion A of the bandage. This binding is made of a material that will not permit of as much stretch as the material forming the body portion.

H H are buttons secured to the outside of the bandage for the purpose hereinafter described. 1

J isa vertical slot cut in the bandage at a point adjacent to one set of the stays or ribs G G for the purpose hereinafter described. It will now be seen that by stretching this bandage, the grasp being bad at both ends of the bandage, the tendency will be to draw the two strips of binding F F which extend along the edge of the bandage into a straight line, and inasmuch, as before stated, as the bandage is wider at the center than at the ends, the binding F will tend to slightly buckle the ribs G G, (the ends of which preferably extend into the binding) and thereby give a contour to the bandage, even while the bandage is not in place. It will therefore be seen that a bandagev thus constructed will fit more naturally to the contour of the body than devices of the same class, but of difierent construction.

\ As shown by the drawings, the slotJ affords a means whereby one end of the bandage may be passed through to the outside of said bandage When in position, so that' it may be secured by buttons or other fastening devices. I preferably use the elastic bands D D in place of a solid elastic web, so thatI do away with the double thickness of fabric at the point where the bandage would otherwise be of double thickness. An advantage is gained by having one set of ribs G G at a point adjacent to the slot J for the reason that it prevents the bandage from puckering or wrinkling at that point.

Having thus described my invention, what I 'claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patout, is-

1. The combination of an abdominal bandage consisting of an elastic body A broadest about midway in its length and tapering toward each end, with a substantially non-elastic binding running around the entire device, with the sets of vertical ribs G G, and a slot J formed betweenthe ribs of one of the sets of ribs, said slot extending from the binding piece'on one edge to the binding piece on the other edge, and with means for adjusting said bandage, substantially as and for the pn rp'ose specified.

s 2. An abdominal bandage consisting of the body A, provided with elastic ribs G and bindings F F of non-stretchable material for the purpose of causing said bandage when under tension to curve to more naturally fit to the contours of the body, and elastics D D, substantially as described.

MARY HEATH.

Witnesses:

R. O. MITCHELL,

JOHN KENNY, Jr. 

